Daredevil

Day 138 (5.18.10) - I have a million pictures of Ruby doing stuff she shouldn't be doing. Here she is standing up and climbing up on her highchair. I can't find the seatbelt for the chair - it's in a box somewhere but I need to find it soon because she obviously has no fear!

Funny Faces

Day 137 (5.17.10) - Totally random picture but I had to post it since it was taken by my budding photographer Joey! I taught him how to use my camera tonight and he just loves taking pictures. He is so funny doing it too - he says "say cheese mama, say cheese dada.............click!" Yeah he actually says "click" as he takes the picture too.

Z and Sasha

Day 136 (5.16.10) - Today the kids and I traveled to Brooklyn to celebrate the 3rd birthday of Sasha with a puppet show and pizza party hosted by her mom, my good friend Z. The kids LOVED the puppet show and even Ruby sat through most of it! It was a fun day and I am so happy we're back east so we could do stuff like this!

Betsy

Day 135 (5.15.10) - VJ and Melissa hosted a Welcome Home barbeque for us today. As usual at casa de Lao, we ate a ton of delicious food and had a great time. A bunch of our really close friends came including Ili's Godparents Tim and Carol who brought their dog Betsy. She is one of the sweetest dogs and so great with the kids....but she is super hard to photograph. Every time I point the camera at her she turns away but I managed to snap one good picture of her.

Window Watching

Day 134 (5.14.10) - My dad always jokes around that Ruby is the new Chynna. Chynna was our family dog who passed away last year. They have a few similarities - they both eat food off the floor, if you wave any food they both come running/crawling to you and lastly they both love to look outside the kitchen window being nosy.

Everyone Loves the Stroller

Day 133 (5.13.10) - Ruby and Joey have been fighting over this stroller the last couple days. Yeah, Joey loves it too. Hope he doesn't get mad when he gets older that I've posted a picture of him pushing a stoller with no pants on and his fake smile!

Baby Doll and Stroller

Day 132 (5.12.10) - At her birthday party a few days ago Ruby got her first girl toy - a baby doll and stroller. She loves her baby and especially loves the stroller (and ride in it).

Under the Stools

Day 131 (5.11.10) - Lately Ruby has been obsessed with playing under the stools in the kitchen. She gets stuck and then screams (as she was doing in this picture) until someone helps her out.

First Sleepover

Day 130 (5.10.10) - We "attempted" to let Joey and Jacob have their first sleepover. Both Nick and Alex were coincidentally out of town for work for a few days so I spent the night with Kelly to keep each other company. We had a great evening until we got to the sleeping part and Jacob wanted Joey out of his bed! Oh well, we had a great time anyway. Here are the boys watching a movie and eating popcorn.

Mothers Day and Birthday Celebration

Day 129 (5.9.10) - We celebrated Mother's Day and Ruby's First Birthday with a family dinner tonight. Ruby got to eat her first cupcake and boy did she like it. She picked it up put it to her mouth and didn't put it down till she was done. She was eating it for about 20 minutes and needed a bath by the time she was done.

Future Firefighter

Day 128 (5.8.10) - Joey had a rough day today. After a couple doctors visits, then a trip to the ER earlier this week he had to go to a podiatrist and have the toenail removed that he hurt last week. Thankfully Nick took him because I am so squeamish with this stuff I probably would have passed out. Poor Joey was so excited to go to the doctor because he thought the doctor was going to fix his booboo. Little did he know that the doctor was just going to remove his toenail withough even giving him anything for pain. Afterwards we went to celebrate his friend Mady's birthday at the New Jersey Childrens Museum and it was just what he needed to forget about the pain of his toe. The museum is perfect for kids who love imaginary play which is Joey. Here he is dressed as a firefighter.

Night Out

Day 127 (5.7.10) - Nick and I had our first night out sans kids since we've moved here (well, if you don't count trips to our self storage unit to move our stuff over). Nick's sister Amanda watched the kids and we went to meet some friends for some wine tasting which was a charity event to raise money for children with special needs. Not only was it a worthwhile cause but it was a fun night! We saw some wonderful and very close friends who we haven't seen in a very long time. It is good to be back east for so many reasons. This picture was taken at the hosts house during the after party.

Happy 1st Birthday Ruby

Day 126 (5.6.10) - Dear Ruby, Today you turned one year old. I’m not quite sure where this past year has gone because time has literally flown by before my eyes. On one hand it makes me sad that your babyhood is nearly over and you are quickly turning into a toddler and on the other hand it makes me so excited to see your wild, spunky, willful personality emerge. You are an amazing little girl and so much more than I ever could have expected. It is hard to believe that it was one year ago that I was waiting to meet you for the very first time. Not only did I think you were going to be a boy but all I could imagine was a clone of your big brother. When I first met you I couldn’t believe how much you looked like him and at first it seemed you were similar in nature but now that I have gotten to know you, it is apparent how completely different you are. At only one year old I know that you are going to do well in life. I know that probably sounds silly to determine that from such a small baby but I just know that you are going to do great things. I have never met another child who is so determined to do anything. Whether it is climbing up on the couch or getting to something you aren’t supposed to be playing with you never give up until your goal is reached. There is no distracting you with something else, you always have your eye on whatever the prize is.

I’ve always heard about the special bond between mothers and daughters and I have to say from the moment I held you in my arms I felt it. You were my baby girl and my heart was overflowing with love from the second I laid my eyes on you.....and somehow you transformed right before my eyes from this tiny helpless baby:

to this independent, energetic and sweet one year old girl.

You just started to walk and surprisingly you are cautious. That is surprising because you are so fearless with everything else you do but seem to prefer to crawl still. You are a thrill seeker. You are very lingual though and can already say a handful of words including mama, dada, apple juice (your current favorite word to say – even though you call all drinks apple juice), up, lolo (of course you melt your lolo’s heart when you say that), this and that. You follow directions well and you love the give big, slobbery open mouth kisses. We recently moved across the country to NJ and you adjusted without a flinch. It seems like you are happier than ever with so much family around. You love your mom and dad but you also just love and adore your big brother. You laugh so hard when he pretends to scare you and you are such a copy cat. You copy anything I tell you to do and copy everything Joey does without being prompted. You sleep great and you love to eat. I don’t think I’ve even found a food you dislike.

People (strangers and friends alike) laugh when they meet you, nod their head in disbelief and tell me I have my hands full with you. But everyone who meets you loves you. When you are happy you are happy, silly, giggly…..but when you are mad, oh boy, you get mad. You scream so loud its like you reach new decibels and it hurts my ears. You cry and let the world know you are angry. You are an emotional girl and the crazy thing is, I can see so much of myself in you.

Happy birthday to my sweet baby girl. It has been an amazing, wonderful year and I am so grateful to be able to spend each day with you. You fill my heart more than you will ever know.

Splashing Around

Day 125 (5.5.10) - It was a beautiful day today. The kids and I spend the day at VJ and Melissa's house. Since it was so hot and sunny out, Melissa took out the water table and the sprinklers for the kids to play outside. Joey and Ili had fun but Miss Ruby had a BLAST! She splashed and splashed around the water table, crawled head on into the sprinkler and just drank lots of gross water from the table. She was so happy - just look at her face!

Trouble x2

Day 124 (5. 4.10) - One of the things that I've been working on since we moved is child-proofing this house. There are so many knick-knacks and breakable things here that the kids keep touching. So, I'm in the process of packing up everything on these book cases in our living room because the kids are driving me crazy touching everything. So far I cleared off the first two shelves and this is what happened....

Hello? Hello?

Day 123 (5.3.10) - Ruby is such a sponge these days. She copies everything you do. She is a great copy cat. You give her a brush and she combs her hair. She picks up the phone and says "hello? hello?" She's always on the phone these days. I'm imagining this is what it will be like when she is a teenager.

Baby Naming

Day 122 (5.2.10) - Today we celebrated my newphew Andrew at his baby naming ceremony. I just love that we are close enough to our family that we can celebrate every occasion with them big and small. Here is Nick's brother Alex and his beautiful family. I didn't get very many pictures today because it is really hard to when I have my hands full with my own kids but I thought this was a sweet moment of big brother Jacob giving his little bro Andrew a kiss.

Off to the Doctor

Day 121 (5.1.10) - A couple days ago Joey got a boo boo. A big one. He got his toe caught in the heavy metal door leading to my parents garage. The small black and blue on his toenail has grown and grown and started to look not so good. So, thankfully, we have a pediatrician in the family. This has got to be one of our BIGGEST perks since moving back here. (This was actually my second visit here - last week Ruby needed a breathing treatment and her nebulizer in a box somewhere in the middle of the country so they gave me another one with meds.) So, on Saturday afternoon, my uncle (Lolo Ronnie as Joey calls him) met us at his office, took a look at his toe, gave us antibiotics (since we don't have our new insurance cards yet to fill a prescription) and a cooler with ice to put the antibiotics in and keep it cold since we weren't going straight home. All without showing an insurance card or paying a co-pay! I love my family!

Happy Anniversary

Day 120 (4.30.10) - Today Nick and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary. Well, we didn't exactly celebrate, it was actually just a typical day in our crazy lives. One day (hopefully in the near future) we'll have to truly celebrate ALONE. Crazy to think about how our lives have morphed in the last five years. We've gone from a young couple dating (we've been together for 11 years now), to a married couple and now parents. Truth be told, we hardly spend any time alone these days which is something we definitely need to work on but with 2 young kids, we're just trying to enjoy the chaos. Not only do I love him more every day but the kids absoloutely adore him. They really love their dad and apparently he is really funny - you can tell by the look on Joey's face.

Mmmm, Dirt

Day 119 (4.29.10) - It is only the end of April and I already have a million and one pictures of Ruby getting into stuff that she shouldn't. Today I got the kids dressed and ready to go out. As we were about to leave the house, I thought I should grab a jacket for Ruby so I ran upstairs for all of about 60 seconds and came downstairs to find this. RUUUUUBBBBY!! I swear I scream her name all day long. She was happily eating dirt (from one of my mom's potted plants) and a complete mess - her dress and face covered with dirt. I think I should make some sort of album of Ruby and all her mischief. She is lucky she is so cute.

Moving In

Day 118 (4.28.10) - Our stuff finally arrived today. It arrived a bit earlier than we were expecting but it all worked out because my mom was here (she leaves for the Philippines tomorrow) to take the kids out while I directed the movers. It was HARD to move an entire house of stuff into an already full house. We have a couple storage units so we moved some of my mom's stuff into the storage unit and most of our stuff will go there too. Today after Joey came back from the park her saw our couches in the living room. He looked at me and said "mama, THIS JoJo's new house?" Up until today I think he thought we were just on vacation but with the arrival of our stuff I think he figured out that we are actually staying for good!

Future Baker

Day 117 (4.27.10) - First off, let me apologize for getting so behind again in my posting. Our life is still kind of a mess from the move and I lost the USB cord for my camera. Of course we probably have like 20 USB cords but they are all in a box somewhere and the only one I had Joey was playing with and lost it! So, I finally found it and I have lots of pictures to update. Here is Ruby making her daily mess. She loves to play with my mom's baking supplies. On another note - how cool is my mom's kitchen aid cabinet. It rises up to counter level without having to lift it out!

Rainy New Beginnings

Day 116 (4.26.10) - Today was a wet, cold and rainy day. It was also Nick's first day of his new job. Since we only had one car (our other car was delivered today though), I had to drive Nick to and from the train station for his commute to Manhattan. I took a few pictures there but none of them were very good. I was like a mom snapping pics of her kid on their first day of school, lol. I took this picture on the way to pick him up. I stopped the car in the middle of the street when I noticed how green everything was. So different from California. It is actually quite beautiful here. I guess all this rain is good for something.

Time to Shave!

Day 115 (4.25.10) - This is probably the longest Nick has ever gone without shaving....over 2 weeks. Today is the last day of the bearded man cause his new job starts tomorrow and he needs to look clean cut to play the part. This pic was taken on the way to Sunday night family dinner at Amanda's house (something we hope to do regularly with the family). Check out the sleeping kid in the back seat.

New Park with Dad

Day 114 (4.24.10) - The kids could not be more thrilled that Nick is here. Joey follows Nick around everywhere -he's super excited to have his dad back. We had a fun morning at the park before we spent the rest of the day moving furniture around trying to make room for our stuff. Here is Joey and Nick on the "big slide" (as Joey calls it) at our new park in Montville. It is a really great park. I'm not sure who is having more fun here.

Andrew

Day 113 (4.23.10) - I have lots of cute pictures from today but this little face is the cutest....my newest nephew Andrew. He is not quite 6 months old and he is pretty much the same size as Ruby! He's going to be a big boy. I thought he really liked me but apparently he is a flirt and smiles like this for everyone!

Nick's Home!

Day 112 (4.22.10) - Nick got home today at about 10 pm. He drove 2,500 + miles and stopped at the diner to pick up 2 taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwiches to bring home. Look at how happy he is. He hasn't shaved in over 2 weeks and is still representing San Diego with his chargers shirt. But yes, he's home! The kids haven't seen him yet - tomorrow morning is going to be like Christmas!

Chez Lao

Day 111 (4.21.10) - The kids, mom and I spent the day at my brother VJ and Melissa's place in the Poconos. Melissa is the best host and we always eat good and PLENTY at their house. Here she is - always with a smile, her "you had me at merlot" apron, and a delicious plate of food ready to be served. For lunch we had salmon with a sort of walnut vinigarette sauce, broccoli rabe, asparagus and potatoes (also not pictured is steak). After this delicious lunch you better believe we also stayed for dinner too!

Lolo and Ruby

Day 110 (4.20.10) - Since we arrived in NJ Joey has been really excited to see everyone. Ruby has been a bit more skeptial of all the new people she has been meeting and has been pretty clingy to me. We've been here almost a week now and every day since we've arrived, my dad would approach Ruby so he could carry her and every day she would turn away from him towards me. He would never push her, instead he would just say "that's ok, we'll try again tomorrow." Every day he would talk to her and he could make her laugh but she never wanted him to carry her. Well, today he put his arms out to her and wouldn't you know, she went to him. Yes she still looks around for her mama but looks like she is finally warming up to her Lolo.

My Budding Artist

Day 109 (4.19.10) - As I mentioned yesterday, Joey is obsessed with cars these days (to say the least). Sometimes he asks me to draw a car which I did for him earlier today. Well, this evening, I was watching tv and Joey was drawing when he ran over to me really excited and said "mama, look, Jojo draw racecar" (yes, he still refers to himself in the third person). I was REALLY surprised when I saw his drawing because I could totally see the car! I mean, he has never even drawn anything close to this so I was one super proud mama. I told him not to erase it while I ran to get my camera. Can you see it?

Playing Racecars

Day 108 (4.18.10) - As you probably already know from my pictures, Joey's favorite thing to do these days is to "play racecars!" Today we went to visit Nick's mom and step-dad (Oma and Opa) and his Aunt Amanda was there too. Joey brought all his racecars and was super excited that Aunt Amanda was more than willing to play racecars with him. The funniest moment was when Amanda was playing with the combos car she gave him (the one that's in her hand in the picture) and Joey told her that was Kyle Busch. I knew he knew all the names of the cars from the movie Cars but I was totally surprised he knew Kyle Busch too. Nick told him that was his name once and apparently Joey has a great memory when it comes to racecars!

Dim Sum

Day 107 (4.17.10) - One of the things I was looking forward to in NJ is REAL Chinese food. After 7+ years in California I've found one good place to eat and that was about 40 minutes away from me. My brother VJ, Melissa and their kids Kaden and Iliana came to meet me and the kids for Dim Sum today. Joey was actually sleeping when we left (hence him not being in the picture) but he woke up just as we were about to eat so I went to pick him up. Lunch was delicious!

Pals Forever

Day 106 (4.16.10) - Joey and his cousin Jacob had the sweeeetest reunion today. They really just love each other. As we arrived at their house Jakie was looking out the window waiting for us, just so excited. When I took Joey out of the car Jacob ran outside and Joey and Jacob just ran full speed at each other and gave each other the biggest hug. They played, they fought over toys, they cracked jokes that only each other could understand, took a bath, got their jammies on and layed in bed reading books before bed time. Joey was pretty comfy laying in Jacob's bed I joked that I would pick him up tomorrow. Here they are having fun in the bath.

Ice Cream with Lola

Day 105 (4.15.10) - We made it to NJ really late last night. We had a lazy day, just hanging at Lola's house, trying to get adjusted to east coast time. Joey was so excited to see my parents, Ruby is a little more skeptial. As if he doesn't love my mom enough, she took us out for ice cream this evening. It was a beautiful warm night. Joey never really got his own ice cream cone until today and he was really excited about it. He ate the whole thing and has been asking my mom to take him out for ice cream for every meal since. Look how happy they both are. It's good to be home.

Bye Bye California

Day 104 (4.14.10) - After 7.5 years, I'm leaving California and another chapter of my life is closing. I am excited to go back home but also really sad to leave all the wonderful friends we have made. When I first came out here Nick and I drove my Honda Civic and all I brought was whatever we could fit in the back of the car. Now, not only are we married and bringing back an entire house full of stuff but we are also bringing back 2 extra people! It was a LONG day of traveling. The kids were ok considering the long day they had but it was a LOT of work for me. Good thing we don't have to go back. The movers come tomorrow and Nick will be leaving this weekend for one more drive across the country. Here is Joey at the airport waiting to board the plane. He looks concerned to say the least. He has no idea of all the changes that are in store.

Beach Break Cafe

Day 103 (4.13.10) - Of course the pictures from our last few days in California is all food pictures. I'm sure my pictures of my first few weeks in NJ will also have food pictures. Out of all the places to eat in California the place we will miss the most is Beach Break Cafe in Oceanside. Nick and I have been going there for years and they have basically watched our family grow. We've gone there pretty much every single weekend we were home for the last 4 or 5 years. The place is a small family owned business with with great food and great service. I have a bunch of different favorite meals that I like to rotate between - pictured here is mango pecan french toast with a side of bacon. Nick gets the same thing every.single.week - the a Mexican egg torta with coffee cak. Joey usually gets the Micky Mouse pancakes.

In N Out

Day 102 (4.12.10) - There are some things you can't get in NJ and In N Out is one of them! We had a busy day today. We dropped off Nick's car to get shipped and on the way home we saw an In N Out truck pass us by. I picked some up to get our fix before we leave. If you haven't had it - you have to try it next time you're out west! Here's Nick with our 2 double doubles, fries and neapolitan shakes. After we had our burgers we started packing. Yes, that is correct, we are moving in 2 days and we JUST STARTED packing today!

Goodbye Again

Day 101 (4.11.10) - Nothing says goodbye to a 2 year old like cupcakes. We had another going away party today - this time a kid friendly one at the park. Nick and I were moving a bit slow from our good time last night but the kids had fun. More tears were shed as we said good bye to more friends. In the last 7 years I've been here Nick and I have really made some wonderful friends....and seeing Joey at the park today with his friends- so has he.

My Little Thrill Seeker

Day 100 (4.10.10) - We had a busy, wonderful, fantastic day today. We had a delicious breakfast at Pipes, spent the morning at the beach, one of my best friends/gay boyfriend Torr came in from San Fransisco, we ALL took a nap (Nick, Joey, Ruby, Torr and I), then we partied it up at O'Sullivans for our going away party. So, as you can imagine, I have a billion pictures from today. Lot's of fun times! I had so many great going away party pictures but I had to post this one from the beach this morning. Ruby is such a crazy thrill seeker and loves to be tossed around. She puts her hands over her mouth, curls her toes under and just squeals in delight until her daddy tosses her up again.

Unemployed

Day 99 (4.9.10) - Today was the last day of work for both Nick and I. Since we gave our notice 2 weeks ago, the time has just flown by. A few tears were shed (afterall, I was at my job for 7 + years, Nick at his for 3) but overall it was a good day. Our good friend/former neighbor Mike came over this evening for a visit and a few beers. Here's to being unemployed. Nick starts his new job in NYC in 2 weeks. As for me? Joey and Ruby are my new employers for the time being. I am going to enjoy my time as a mom for now.

Looking for a Snack?

Day 98 (4.8.10) - I went to pour Joey a cup of juice and left the fridge open for just a second and turned around to find Ruby IN the fridge. Maybe she was hungry and looking for a snack? The girl is into everything. Excuse the lack of food in the fridge - I've been trying not to buy anything to clean out our fridge before we move next week!

Joey and mom

Day 97 (4.7.10) - Just a quick self portrait/snapshot of Joey and I for today.

Jamba Juice

Day 96 (4.6.10) - Every day I've been trying to get something they don't have in NJ. I don't think they hvae Jamba Juice in NJ...do they? Ruby got her first taste today and she was hooked! Joey loves it too. He usually finishes his drink then proceeds to drink mine. Between both kids today I hardly got any at all. Look at the look of concentration on her face!

Who Needs Toys...

Day 95 (4.5.10) - ...when you can just play in a laundry basket?

Happy Easter!

Day 94 (4.4.10) - We had a pretty quiet Easter Sunday. We're thankful that we have great friends here since we have no family to spend evrey holiday with. Today we went to our good friend Patrick's house where his mom made a fabulous traditional Polish Easter dinner. The food was delicious and the company was great. Ruby looked adorable in this little dress. Not a typical Easter outfit but it has little bunnies on it so I figured it was appropriate. She's been taking a couple steps here and there but not really "walking" just yet.

Under Water

Day 93 (4.3.10) - We took one last trip to the Sea Life Aquarium with the kids and Nick today. I've been trying to get a picture of Joey in this dome for months but could never get him to look. Finally got an ok one!

Still Sleepy

Day 92 (4.2.10) - For the last 2 years and 10 months Joey has woken me up pretty much every single day (unless his sister beats me to it). I never have to set an alarm because the kids are like clockwork..they wake up bring and EARLY even when I want to sleep in on the weekend. Well, this year between the time change and Joey wanting to stay up later and later each night, ever since we changed the clocks he has not wanted to get up in the mornings. It's actually quite funny waking him up in the morning to get him to daycare. I imagine this is what the teenage years are going to be like - him pushing me away, pulling the covers over his head and telling me to "go away." Hmm, it's not so fun being woken up before you are ready, huh buddy.

Getting Ready for the Easter Bunny

Day 91 (4.1.10) - I picked up Joey from daycare today and he was wearing these bunny ears. He was proud to tell me that he made them himself. I was surprised to hear that he wore them all afternoon because he usually hates hates and such. I had to bribe him to take a picture with his St. Patty's Day hat but today he was proud to pose with his bunny ears.

Mt. Washmore

Day 90 (3.31.10) - I know my recent pictures are fairly boring but welcome to my life. Before I got married I could go weeks without doing laundry. Then when I married Nick I realized we had to do laundry every couple days. His clothes are much bigger than mine which equals more loads. Then we had kids and now we have to do laundry daily. If we skip a day we have to do 2 loads the next. The laundry never ends. Ruby's clothes are tiny and she seems to generate just as much as everyone else. Here she is "helping" me with the laundry.